A 16-year Longitudinal Cohort Study of Incidence and Bacteriology of Necrotising Fasciitis in England.

Background: Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a rapidly progressive, destructive soft tissue infection with high mortality. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and mortality of NF amongst patients admitted to English National Health Service (NHS) hospitals. The secondary aims included the identification of risk factors for mortality and causative pathogens.

Coding accuracy for Parkinson's disease hospital admissions: implications for healthcare planning in the UK.

Objectives: Hospital Episode Statistics data are used for healthcare planning and hospital reimbursements. Reliability of these data is dependent on the accuracy of individual hospitals reporting Secondary Uses Service (SUS) which includes hospitalisation. The number and coding accuracy for Parkinson's disease hospital admissions at a tertiary centre in Birmingham was assessed.

Evaluation of a multi-arm multi-stage Bayesian design for phase II drug selection trials - an example in hemato-oncology.

Background: Multi-Arm Multi-Stage designs aim at comparing several new treatments to a common reference, in order to select or drop any treatment arm to move forward when such evidence already exists based on interim analyses. We redesigned a Bayesian adaptive design initially proposed for dose-finding, focusing our interest in the comparison of multiple experimental drugs to a control on a binary criterion measure.

Methods: We redesigned a phase II clinical trial that randomly allocates patients across three (one control and two experimental) treatment arms to assess dropping decision rules.

Stroke-Related Hospitalization and Mortality After a Kidney Allograft: A Population-Cohort Study.

Objectives: Stroke is a major cause of mortality in the general population but data regarding stroke-related hospitalization or mortality after a kidney transplant is limited. We determined risk for stroke-related episodes after a kidney transplant in a population-based cohort study of 19,103 kidney allograft recipients in England between 2001 and 2012.

Materials And Methods: The incidence of stroke-related events after a kidney transplant with pretransplant history of stroke, the incidence of stroke-related hospitalization or death among all kidney allograft recipients after a kidney transplant, and risk factors for stroke-related mortality after a kidney transplant were examined.

Bile duct reconstruction following laparoscopic cholecystectomy in England.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of bile duct reconstruction (BDR) following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to identify associated risk factors.

Background: Major bile duct injury (BDI) requiring reconstruction is a serious complication of cholecystectomy.

Methods: All LC and attempted LC operations in England between April 2001 and March 2013 were identified.

National administrative data produces an accurate and stable risk prediction model for short-term and 1-year mortality following cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Various risk models exist to predict short-term risk-adjusted outcomes after cardiac surgery. Statistical models constructed using clinical registry data usually perform better than those based on administrative datasets. We constructed a procedure-specific risk prediction model based on administrative hospital data for England and we compared its performance with the EuroSCORE (ES) and its variants.

Aortic dissection in pregnancy in England: an incidence study using linked national databases.

Objectives: To conduct the first population-level incidence study of aortic dissection in pregnancy using linked hospital-based data in England.

Setting: Hospital-based data (Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) linked with mortality data from the Office of National Statistics), national enquiries (Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Mortality) and surveys (UK Obstetric Surveillance System; UKOSS) of aortic dissection in pregnancy from 2003 to 2011 in England.

Participants: Between 2003 and 2011, all female patients admitted with diagnoses of aortic dissection (not necessarily as the primary cause of admission) and of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, were included.

Influence of day of surgery on mortality following elective colorectal resections.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the increased mortality previously identified for surgery performed on Fridays was apparent following major elective colorectal resections and how this might be affected by case mix.

Methods: Patients undergoing elective colorectal resections in England from 2001 to 2011 were identified using Hospital Episode Statistics. Propensity scores were used to match patients having operations on a Friday in a 1 : 1 ratio with those undergoing surgery on other weekdays.

Population level analysis of diagnostic laparoscopy versus normal appendicectomy for acute lower abdominal pain.

Background: There is virtually no evidence to guide surgeons and patients when faced with an absence of pathology for acute lower abdominal pain. This study aimed to compare diagnostic laparoscopy alone to laparoscopic removal of a normal appendix in patients with acute lower abdominal pain but an absence of pathology.

Method: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital data from all English acute hospitals performing emergency appendicectomy between 01/04/2002 and 31/03/2012.

Recipient age and risk for mortality after kidney transplantation in England.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore age-related mortality post-kidney transplantation in England over the last decade.

Methods: This study used data from Hospital Episode Statistics to select all kidney transplant procedures performed in England between April 2001 and March 2012. Demographics and medical comorbidities (based upon ICD-10 codes) were extracted at baseline.

Infection-related mortality is higher for kidney allograft recipients with pretransplant diabetes mellitus.

Aims/hypothesis: The risk of infection-related mortality in kidney allograft recipients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus is unknown. We determined the risk of infection-related mortality after kidney transplantation in a population-based cohort stratified by diagnosis of pre-existing diabetes mellitus.

Methods: We linked data between two national registries (Hospital Episode Statistics and the Office for National Statistics) to select all mortality events after kidney transplantation in England between April 2001 and March 2012.

Malignancy-related mortality following kidney transplantation is common.

There is a paucity of studies describing malignancy-related mortality after kidney transplantation. To help quantify this, we extracted data for all kidney-alone transplant procedures performed in England between April 2001 and March 2012. Data linkage analysis was performed between Hospital Episode Statistics and the Office for National Statistics to identify all deaths occurring in this cohort.

Mortality after pediatric kidney transplantation in England--a population-based cohort study.

The aim of this study was to explore mortality after pediatric kidney transplantation in England over the last decade. We used data from HES to select all kidney transplant procedures performed in England between April 2001 and March 2012. Data linkage analysis was performed with the ONS to identify all deaths occurring among this study cohort.

Fatal venous thromboembolism associated with hospital admission: a cohort study to assess the impact of a national risk assessment target.

Objectives: In 2010, the Department of Health in England introduced an incentivised national target for National Health Service (NHS) hospitals aiming to increase the number of patients assessed for the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with hospital admission. We assessed the impact of this initiative on VTE mortality and subsequent readmission with non-fatal VTE.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Long-term effectiveness of cholecystectomy and endoscopic sphincterotomy in the management of gallstone pancreatitis.

Background: Gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) is a common condition, accounting for 30-40 % of all pancreatitis cases. All GSP patients should undergo definitive treatment to prevent further attacks. This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcome after definitive treatment in England by cholecystectomy, endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES), or both.

Socioeconomic deprivation is independently associated with mortality post kidney transplantation.

The association between area socioeconomic deprivation and mortality post kidney transplantation is unclear. To clarify this, we obtained data from 19,103 kidney transplant procedures performed in England from April 2001 to March 2012. Patient demographics included age, gender, donor type (living or deceased), ethnicity, transplant year, allograft failure, medical comorbidities, and area socioeconomic deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation (2010)).